America will soon put a firing squad execution on public view. Many Nigerians will think of the Bar Beach shows in 1970s Lagos.
The Pentagon says it will livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. He is the Fort Hood shooter. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth first called the event “public.” The Defense Department then confirmed the livestream.
The execution will take place at Fort Hood on December 3. However, the Army has not said how it will run the event.
Hasan is a former Army psychiatrist. In 2009, he attacked the Texas base. He killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. A court convicted him. This week, President Donald Trump ordered the firing squad.
The case carries two firsts. It will be the first US military execution since 1961. It will also be the military’s first firing squad execution since World War II.
The livestream is a bigger break from tradition. No US execution has ever been televised. The last public one took place in Kentucky in 1936.
The Trump administration also widened the options for federal executions. It recently added firing squads. One reason was the difficulty of getting lethal injection drugs.
Nigerians will find the picture familiar. In the 1970s, Lagos shot convicted criminals by firing squad at Bar Beach. Huge crowds came to watch. Nigeria later dropped the practice. Now the world’s richest democracy plans a public spectacle of its own.
Experts disagree on the plan. Fordham law professor Deborah Denno says a livestream could bring more transparency. She adds that it could show the public what capital punishment involves.
Others, however, see cause for concern. The plan has raised fresh questions about how America carries out executions. The botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee adds to those questions.
The date could also change. Hasan may file a habeas petition in civilian court. That could delay the execution.
For now, key questions remain open. Who can watch? How will the footage reach the public? The Pentagon has yet to say.⁹
